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marleyhazel

Looking for bathroom advice regarding gap b/t shower glass and vanity

Marley Braun
7 years ago

There ended up being an awkward gap between the side of the bath vanity/countertop and the shower glass return panel - just about 3/8" towards the front and 1/2" in the back - see photo #1 and #2. You can't even fit a finger in there! Cleaning and water damage (from water running down the side of the cabinet) are both concerns. To boot, countertop installers forgot to caulk the bottom of the sink to the cabinet and now it's unreachable - see photo #3. (The shower glass and plumbing all went in before I noticed this mistake).

Does anyone have any ideas for a solution? My contractor just shrugs his shoulders. I was thinking of somehow affixing some vinyl weather stripping in the gap to keep water out. As far as the missed caulking, I recently watched someone use a caulking gun with a drinking straw to hit a hard-to-reach area. My husband thinks that's going to be a big (un-cleanable) mess if we try and caulk the sink to the cabinet. Thanks for looking!


Comments (17)

  • smit2380
    7 years ago

    Do you still owe the contractor money? I find withholding final payments makes contractors less likely to shrug. The caulking thing seems like the contractor's fault. It is unclear on the glass vanity thing whose fault it is based on the info provided.

  • smit2380
    7 years ago

    I do not think the weather stripping idea would completely resolve your moisture issues. Arguably, it might prevent liquid water from running in there. However, I doubt it would be air tight, and bathrooms are filled with moist air. I think it would be like when you get a broken seal on dual pane windows and moisture gets trapped in there. If it were me, I would probably trade out the vanity for a smaller one. Sorry that is not probably what you want to hear.

    Marley Braun thanked smit2380
  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Who may I ask, designed this ill conceived bath? The problem should not have existed, exactly as per Sophie. You do NOT butt a vanity to glass. You butt to a knee/pony wall and glass above that vanity/wall is then fine. The only issue is when you will need to fix the eventual mold and mildew with a rip out. Now or later. This kind of avoidable mistake drives me insane. Absolutely insane.

    Marley Braun thanked JAN MOYER
  • susanalanandwrigley
    7 years ago

    The phrasing of your question says it all ... "there ended up being ..."- it is not something that just happened on its own, it was the result of someone not planning appropriately. I have seen many bathroom pictures on houzz where the glass comes down to a pony wall abutting the vanity - do a search and see what you can find - this is the appropriate way to plan this space. What you have is just a disaster waiting to happen, sorry to say. Without knowing who designed this, it is hard to know who to blame, but I know it did not just "end up being" that way on its own. And if it is you that created that design, consider this a teachable moment, and think about how you can redesign appropriately, as funds allow.

    Marley Braun thanked susanalanandwrigley
  • PRO
    John James O'Brien | Inspired Living, by design
    7 years ago

    Agree with comments above--but you want a solution. Here's one: ditch the vanity and install a (stylish) pedestal sink that will facilitate cleaning the far smaller space that is close to the glass. You'll need another solution for storage. You can salvage this--but as others have noted, the problem is not the end result, but the lack of planning (sorry to rub salt in wounds!)

    Marley Braun thanked John James O'Brien | Inspired Living, by design
  • Judy Mishkin
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    ok, so its a disaster waiting to happen, but it might not happen. stitch in time didnt happen but you dont need to do the 9 stitches right now.

    i'd do the clear weatherstripping. when it turns into an ugly situation then replace some element, odds are the vanity will be the cheapest.

    a smaller vanity will fix your woes, when you have woes. but please, don't let it look bad for years, only to replace the vanity when its time to sell the house.

    see...its about 6" from the glass on the right....


  • millworkman
    7 years ago

    nnirt, not a matter of if, just a matter of when. It is wrong and will cause issues and the best time to deal with this is now. Weatherstrip will not work.

    Marley Braun thanked millworkman
  • Judy Mishkin
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    the best time to deal with it is before more finishes are completed. if this *is* all completed, tile is in, etc. not anything will be accomplished by not taking a deep breath.

    what is going to happen? water will run down this side of the vanity. either not at all, a little, or a lot. if a lot, often, it will eventually ruin the finish on the vanity. you'll need to replace the vanity. or a little will happen, once in a while and you'll go drat. or never and it's fine. so if you can stop it from happening, thats great. otherwise down the road you'll need a smaller vanity. but no money will be saved by doing it before a drop of water has ever gone over the edge.

    i agree, it was a poor plan. and if the plumbing wasnt in, i'd say hmmm you'll save having to plumb it twice if you replace the vanity now. but the plumbing is in, so i say, take a wait and see attitude and try real hard not to have water drip over the edge of the vanity.

    Marley Braun thanked Judy Mishkin
  • Marley Braun
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Thanks everyone for the comments. It's a long story but the original plan (which was conceived by my 1st contractor - we are on our 2nd) was to have an 84" Ikea vanity (2x24" and 2x18" cabs) centered on the wall with about 5" on either side. The countertop got templated early on before the vanity was built and because we were planning on going with the Ikea set-up (at the insistence of 1st contractor), the sinks seem a little too far to each edge of this massive countertop. The 1st contractor ended up quitting and left us with a completely empty bathroom but we found a 2nd contractor to finish up this project (and many others). The 2nd contractor suggested that I return the Ikea vanity and he will build a cabinet himself. When I explained about the 5 inches on either side, he thought those spaces would be too small and awkward so he suggested an additional 8.5" towel cabinet so that the vanity spans the whole area. I agree, not even thinking about what is going to happen in that very small space between the vanity and the shower glass. At this point, the tile was already in for the shower so a pony wall was neither brought up by my contractor nor I think even feasible (although looking back, I knew that was the correct way to do it - I was just naive and thought he knew what he was doing.) Of course everything was done (vanity in, countertop set, plumbing, mirror in, lights above sinks, shower glass) in a matter of days so I really didn't have any time to stop what was happening. The only thing left to do in there is the cabinet doors. Redoing everything is going to be quite costly and my contractor wants to take no responsibility because I contracted the countertop and glass installers and I agreed to his larger vanity plan. I've learned a lot from the past 7 months of renovation - namely the devil is always in the details aka find a good designer!

  • Judy Mishkin
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    *hugs*

    i guess thats where the expression 'man plans, god laughs' comes from.

    well, so i stand with my musing, if you keep water from going down you'll be ok maybe. i hope no kids will be using this. keep a folded hand towel to the right, maybe.....just casually there... not stuffed in the crack.

    Marley Braun thanked Judy Mishkin
  • rocketjcat
    7 years ago
    More than water running down there I would be more concerned about the errant hairs and other icky stuff that will fall down there, be seen through the glass with no way to extract. Good idea to keep a towel strategically placed along the edge!
  • Jane Slaton
    7 years ago

    I agree at some point you will need to replace the vanity. For a quick fix right now could a lip of the vanity material be glued to the edge next to the glass and sealed so water won't go down the side.

  • RARE Construction Rae & Rose
    7 years ago
    The shower glass and door could be moved 3-4 inches into the shower to give you a little room to clean. Or, go to a box store, buy a new vanity for 200.00 or so and have the ends of the vanity cut down and repolished.
  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    First lesson: A CONTRACTOR is not a designer

    Second lesson: an ACTUAL design shows all dimensions and is elevated to your final look in the room

    Third lesson. a counter can't be templated in "advance"...... a template is the exact configuration over the EXACT thing it will sit upon, and is done on site.. This was a cut and polish where a fabricator was given a dimension. they are NOT the same. Doesn't matter, you don't butt a vanity to glass.

    Bite the bullet..........REDO the vanity and top to a smaller size allowing a decently sized and cleanable/breathable gap of at least five inches. Remove the edge to edge mirror, and redo the drywall and make a large free hanging framed mirror. sized to the new vanity.
    Fourth lesson: Repeat number one. Often.

  • GreenDesigns
    7 years ago

    Redo this with a smaller vanity and top.

  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Also, since I do feel your pain............until you can address the real solution as I stated above, get one of these:

    https://jet.com/product/detail/969a75eeb127483e8d40db14c027fa51?jcmp=pla:ggl:gen_jd_home_garden_a3:household_supplies_household_cleaning_supplies_a3_other:na:PLA_344689620_23655926340_pla-161652872460:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15&ds_c=gen_jd_home_garden_a3&ds_cid&ds_ag=household_supplies_household_cleaning_supplies_a3_other&product_id=969a75eeb127483e8d40db14c027fa51&product_partition_id=161652872460&gclid=CJaf9ePE5s0CFUgehgodrboKDg&gclsrc=aw.ds

    WRAP it snugly with a light weight rag , spray with cleaner of choice and slide it in, drag it in and out , and up, and do the same to dry. The bristle is flexible to fit, and the rag will protect the vanity as it cleans. Yes, it works. Do it often